Tag Archives: entertainment

I’m thrilled to announce that Junction is now available on iTunes as of today, July 14, 2015! International markets will find “Junction” released as “Hostage.” But don’t worry, if you rent “Hostage” and end up watching Bruce Willis as a washed out police negotiator that is ok…Miramax will thank you, but you won’t get the same experience as enjoying 4 strung out meth-heads cruising into Verterra Hills for a B&E that will change their lives’ forever. So, be sure you are watching Tony Glazer‘s film not Florent-Emilio Siri’s, and I will be sure to thank you personally.

I received a few comments on social media regarding today’s release, and the comments boil down to this question, “Didn’t you already release Junction?” I’ll explain and give you a summer reading assignment. Summer Crockett Moore shared a great article on film release windows (originally posted by BirthDeathMovies.com) a few weeks ago on social media. Many people “liked” the article, but did you read it? It gives some information on basic film releasing and some good reading about the challenges we face in finding our market and making money, especially with the impact of Netflix as a major market disruptor for film releasing.

For Junction, we released in select theaters–and earned great reviews and amazing press. That was our first release window. Our second window was making it available on select platforms for DVD rental. And consistent with the article, we needed to make the best use of distance between release windows. Finally, we are where we are today, completing the digital drop to VOD platforms and giving a worldwide audience access to enjoy “Junction” via iTunes and other VOD platforms.

I always look for a great story. One that gets me laughing out of my chair, or keeps me grasping on the page…furiously pushing through to the end. The kinds of stories I like…I hope you like.

I had the opportunity to read a wonderful script on Tuesday that Tom Hanks had given notes on–a story so funny and enjoyable that I made a note on page 34 that I’ve never made before. I wrote, “I fell in love right here.” –and I drew a line across the page.

So far, I have been blessed with great stories that have found me. I haven’t had to go looking. Junction, which most of you know, found me. Trust Me, I’m a Lifeguard also found me. And the other two projects I am working on this year also found me.

Now, I can speculate that this is because Siri (yes, the voice of the iPhone) is following me on Twitter and she is secretly planting messages on your phone and email to call me when you have a great idea. Or perhaps it’s because I was quoted in a major newspaper and one of those 1.5 million readers had my phone number and pitched me a story. (Thank you, Baltimore Sun.) But no.

That would be just another story.

You see, these stories found me because I am surrounded by talented, industrious and passionate people. People I love–that are my friends. No magic trick required, no advanced degree in particle physics or an MFA from Julliard. (I’m not knocking it either Harris, Taylor, Stephen and all my alumnus friends!).

It turns out that these people happen to be artists, actors, writers, composers, directors, producers, mechanics, electricians, foodies, bankers, inventors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, investors, and captains of industry. I have a friend who is partnering with NASA on the use and development of transparent flat screen televisions. Another who is selling a new advanced motor design to the oil and gas industry that will change the way crude oil is pumped to the surface of the earth. And another who is creating disruptive technology to compete with Google.

So what does NASA, crude oil and the people I love have to do with SOHO?

Everything.

First: SOHO is a top film festival. It is ranked by MovieMaker Magazine and it brings out the stars! I’ve hit my quota for name dropping, so look to their press (Get Googling!) to see all of the amazing people coming out to celebrate #SIFF2014 this year. It also welcomed Junction last year…so we are kindred spirits.

Second: Do your research. You’ll be surprised how many movies have walked away from SOHO with not just an award, but with distribution.

Finally: Everyone I described, above, has been involved with movie making– from the foodie to the mechanic. And there is one thing that they have done which I have emulated…and that is simply being around them. They are some of the most fun, dynamic and interesting people–and they are never short on ideas…or opportunities.

Thank you to the Virginia Tech Monthly for thrusting our PRISM nomination around the country to several hundred thousand loyal Hokies! As a result some of you learned I am a Hokie, I reconnected with some of my college buddies that I haven’t talked to in years and “us” engineers got to cheer in our corner because so often we are not considered artists…yet some of the most amazing engineers I know are gifted pianists, writers, guitarists and performers.

Let it be known that engineers are not just problem solvers…they are solutionaries…(solution-makers, visionaries, artists)…artists that create solutions that continue to change and improve our world!

Check out the PRISM Awards live-televised on the FX Network in September.

This story is dedicated to all of those who have supported our amazing film: Junction. To all of our fans, friends and family. We are the “little independent movie that could” and we hope that both our story, and the story of Junction finds it way into every home and theatre in America. (Although kids, you shouldn’t watch it until you are a bit older). 🙂 As we head south, into Week 2 of Junction’s theatrical release we grow to 4 cities, and we press on see how far we can go.

From the bottom to the top, Thank you.

—

Catching a Shooting Star

I’d like to tell you a story about how I caught a shooting star. It’s not a fairy tale. Not an instruction manual. It’s just, well…perhaps I should start at the beginning.

It is something that I have wanted to do since I was a boy. I remember sneaking out late and laying up on top of the hill that looked down at my neighborhood, just far enough away to feel alone and high enough to let the sky cover me like a blanket. The late nights of summer where the night shared with me a sky full of stars. That is, before the sky was taken over with lights from the Walmart parking lot and muted out from the freeway lamps. So clear you could swear you see the planets peeking out from the darkness. Wondering if they were looking back and if they could see you, too. Sure it was just my imagination, but with the silence as my friend, there were no limits to what I could dream of. I was only limited by what my imagination could not dream up at the time.

The air was warm that night—when I saw it. I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I went to focus on it, but it was already gone. It was just a blip. A flash. A moment where something in the sky moved. That is where this story started. I remember a story about a boy who caught a shooting star, it is said he watched it from the moment it entered the darkness, until the moment the last spark of dust landed in his hand.

But that just sounds like hogwash, doesn’t it? I mean Momma had told me that stars are burning gases. Like a lantern. Like the sun itself, just of a different color. And I knew no burning gas was going to travel all the way from the sky into the palm of my hand.

That would be a fairytale.

But something about it seemed…real. I couldn’t let it go. Got to the point where Momma told me that there are things in this life that are out of reach. Things that we’ll never get to see or do. And she said it’s wasn’t because we didn’t deserve to see them or do them, but because we had more important things to do. That we were put on this earth for a reason, and it wasn’t just to look up at the stars.

Looking back at those years I see what she was doing, she was preparing me for life. She wanted me to focus on what was important, not just on those dreams of childhood that I made up in my head all those nights on the hill.

But that glimpse of what I saw that night never left my memory. And that crazy story about boy who caught a shooting star seemed to become more real in my head each time I thought of it.

What if…you know? What if. What if he did catch that shooting star? I tried to imagine that. What it would be like to catch something traveling with so much force that it is breaking apart before my very eyes. I imagined riding it, jumping on it the same way I launch onto my bicycle, and the soft seat catches me as I ride off at lightning speed across the stars. The more I thought about it, I realized I would need special glasses. I would need to be able to see where the star was going without being blinded by the other stars I passed along the way—Dad’s sunglasses were perfect. They almost covered my entire face. And, I would need a suit, but not like Superman. I didn’t have any special powers, I just had this shooting star to catch. So I figured the blue suit and vest momma made me wear for first communion would be perfect— something that thick would keep me safe from the unpredictable temperatures. I learned about that from the book of planets Mr. Teaburn, our school librarian, loved to keep out on display. What I couldn’t figure out is what I would do when the star finally broke apart into dust. Would I fall from the sky too?

It took me a long time to figure this part out. How rock and gas could just dissapear in the sky. It didn’t make sense me. It had to go somewhere. Momma said it probably just went back to where it came from. Strangely, that made sense. So I figured, when the star went home, so would I.

So I prepared. I practiced how I would catch my shooting star. Laid out my suit, Dad’s glasses, and I even made a sandwich. I figured peanut butter and jelly would keep better up there, even though I always craved cheese sandwiches at a night.

I also didn’t know how long I would be gone. I figured seconds, since the shooting star I first saw was gone before I could even start counting. But I was prepared for anything. Suit, glasses, and a sandwich in my pocket.

Momma humored me. She refreshed my supply of sandwiches each night, and she even packed me a backpack full of space tools: a bug container to bring back a space rock, and a tube of toothpaste because she said if I was gone more than one night I would have to brush my teeth all by myself. She even surprised me with a parachute she made out of cardboard, string and a grocery bag.

But then something happened.

I often fell asleep while I was on watch for my shooting star. But this night was different. See, the first night I fell asleep, Momma got worried. Thought something happened. So she put on her boots and walked up the hill complete in her nightgown to find me and she carried me home…as she ended up doing more times than I’d like to admit. But everything changed that night. The night I wasn’t there. All she found was the bug container and an empty sandwich bag. But not me.

The bug container fell out because…well—everything happened too fast. The sandwich she made that night hit the spot, and I’ll have to thank her when I get home. I learned something that night—in fact, I’ve learned so much since that night. The suit jacket, for example, was too constricting. It was too difficult to hold on. So I left it somewhere near the moon. The glasses, they worked perfectly. Thanks, Dad. But most of all, I learned that we become what we think about, everyday. I had a dream to catch a shooting star, but I was too young to dream I could live among them.

Here is something you won’t learn in film school. You won’t learn about it when you train as an actor, and in fact, no matter the number of house parties and premieres you attend you probably won’t have any clue what it is. I sure didn’t. So what is this big secret? …this code-word? …this mythical double-verb-noun? It’s the step-repeat.

I repeat. A Step…Repeat. Did you get it that time? See, this is producer-talk/short-hand for a “step-AND-repeat.”

You would think that would clear it up. Right? Nope. Didn’t help me at all either. In fact even when busy with production activities (A.K.A. endless hours of calls and meetings) I still didn’t have a handle on this super-secret code word.

So here it is…the big reveal…you know that enormous backdrop that celebrities stand in front of when the press are taking their photos and interviewing them on the red carpet….yup. Thats it. That oversized placemat plastered with company logos. The runway for brand recognition. The graphical moomoo for those who want to be seen…that my friends is a step-repeat.

Now, when can you use this word? You get to use this super-secret code word when you have to call the graphics designer or the print house when ordering your….step-and-repeat.

That’s right, even print shops and graphics designers know what a step-and-repeat is, but not the producer. Go figure.

So, there is still that lingering question…why they heck to you call it a step-and-repeat? The answer will shock you. You may want to sit down first. Here we go:

It is called the step and repeat because when you walk the red-carpet: the goal is to be seen by all the press. So you

Ladies and Gentlemen: our mastered DCP! (in the middle) Shipments go out today to theaters across the country as the Junction DCP gets loaded into their projectors! Thank you Nice Dissolve!

See you at the movies!

Get your tickets at http://www.movietickets.com.
If you don’t see Junction at your local theater, let them know! Theatre managers and owners want to hear from you! Or send them right to this page. They can contact summer@choicefilms.com for booking.

As expected Junction shows are already selling out! And we just picked up another city…updates to follow!

For those of you who are now unable to get tickets to the already SOLD OUT show on 11/15 at 7:15pm, never fear! Any ticket for a show that day will get you into the red-carpet after-party at Bar 13 (which starts at 9:30pm). So, perhaps get a ticket for the 5:15pm show, then take a dinner break from 7pm-9pm, and you will be perfectly timed to hit the after-party! (And a full tummy for dancing the night away!) Or, see the 1pm screening, or the 3:10pm screening and then you will have time to go home for a disco nap and then come back out at 9:30 for the after-party! So many options! Including 4 other cities as of right now. We are working on opening up other cities as tickets sales and press continues to run.